Protective glove

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a protective glove ( 1 ) for protecting certain regions of a user&#39;s hand ( 2 ) against foreign bodies impacting with it such as bullets and/or stabbing or cutting devices, with a lining ( 4 ) made from a material that is not or not very resistant to stabs, cuts or incisions and is not bullet-proof, for example a textile fabric, a leather, a laminate or similar, comprising several glove fingers ( 10  to  14 ), and a glove top face ( 17 ) extends on an external surface ( 3 ) of the lining ( 4 ) in the region of finger top sides ( 19 ) and in a top hand region ( 15 ), and a bullet-proof and/or cut or stab inhibiting protective padding ( 20 ) is built up on or placed on certain regions of the glove top face ( 17 ) starting from a padding bottom face ( 21 ) and is attached to the lining ( 4 ) at joining points ( 22 ), and the protective padding ( 20 ) prevents penetration by foreign bodies impacting with it to a glove interior lying underneath it.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a national phase application of PCT Patent Application No.PCT/AT2005/000349, filed Aug. 31, 2005 which claims priority fromAustrian Application No. A 1520/2004, filed Sep. 13, 2004. Thedisclosure of each such application is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety where appropriate for teachings of additional oralternative details, features, anchor technical background, and priorityis asserted from each.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a protective glove for protecting a user's handfrom foreign bodies, such as projectile objects or stabbing or cuttingdevices, of the type described in the introductory part of claim 1.

Items of clothing designed to project against stabbing and shootinginjuries are already known from the prior art. The linings of theseitems of clothing are usually made up of several layers of material andindividual layers are made from a bulletproof material or a materialresistant to incisions, cutting or piercing. Bullet-proof clothing inparticular is known, for example in the form of protective vests andsimilar, which protect a user against injuries caused by bullets.

Patent specification EP 0 773 869 B1 discloses an item of protectiveclothing specifically designed to protect against injuries by stabbingdevices, cutting devices, bullets or shrapnel, which is made from layersof fabrics placed one above the other, which are also stitched to oneanother or bonded to one another in a dotted pattern. At least one ofthe layers is provided with a ceramic coating applied to at least oneside by means of a plasma spray coating process.

Patent specification EP 0 972 169 B1 discloses a material resistant tostabbing, which is made film a base material incorporating solidparticles and a fabric packet. The stab-resistant material contains abase material coated with solid particles of a diameter of between 0.1and 3 mm and which is disposed on the fabric packet, the fabric packetbeing thicker than 1.5 mm.

With items of clothing of this structure, even though the liningincorporating the protective material may be relatively thin, a user'ssense of touch or feeling is restricted by these items of protectiveclothing compared with a conventional item of clothing that does notincorporate bullet-proof or stab-resistant protective material. Suchitems of clothing are also relatively expensive to produce and becauseof their thin-layered structure, reliable protection against bullets canbe guaranteed to only a certain degree. Although bullets impacting withthe known protective clothing may be prevented from penetrating theinterior of the known protective clothing, the thin-layered materialstructure of the known clothing does not decelerate bullets sufficientlyand the kinetic energy of ballistic missiles can not be sufficientlyabsorbed by this material structure to prevent a trauma effect andimpact injuries to a user caused by the forces released on impact.

It should be pointed out that when it comes to protective clothing knownfrom the prior art, protective gloves in particular are not satisfactoryin practical applications because a user's sense of touch and feelingand the freedom of movement of the fingers, which is crucial to someactivities, is too severely restricted due to the protective material inthese regions since it is not readily deformable.

In the glove-making industry, therefore, there is a need for aprotective glove which on the one hand does not restrict the sense oftouch and feeling and the freedom of movement of a user's hand, inparticular the palm of a hand, unlike the gloves known from the priorart, and on the other hand is resistant to foreign bodies in a definedregion and is capable of damping or absorbing their impact energy to ahigh degree. There is a need for gloves meeting these requirements formilitary personnel and police officers, etc., in particular.

These requirements are satisfied by a glove of the type proposed by theinvention, and it is the objective of the invention to propose aprotective glove which affords improved resistance to foreign bodies insome regions, such as ballistic missiles and/or piercing or cuttingdevices for example, and which do not or barely restrict the sense oftouch and feeling and the freedom of movement of a user's hand,especially in the region of the palm of the hand and in the fingerregion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the invention is directed to a protective glove forprotecting certain regions of a user's hand against foreign bodiesimpacting with it, comprising a lining made from a material coveringseveral glove fingers and a glove top face on an external surface of thelining extending into the region of finger top sides and a top handregion; and an impact protective padding which is built or placed on atleast certain regions of a glove top face starting from a padding bottomface and attached to the lining at joining points, where at least onefree zone on the glove top face has no joining points between theprotective padding and the lining, said free zone extending at leastinto a partial section of a peripheral contour which encloses thepadding bottom side at least in a peripheral edge or frontal or terminalend region of the protective padding.

The resultant advantage primarily resides in the fact that, by providingone or more free zone(s) starting from the edge or side regions of theprotective padding in which the protective padding and lining are notjoined, a user is able to move parts of his hand, in particular hisfingers, in the free zone without there being a significantly increasedmechanical resistance, thereby requiring less force to be expended.Accordingly, a protective padding with a particularly high protectiveeffect can be used which is significantly more dimensionally stable andbending-resistant than the flexible lining but does not or barelyrestricts the freedom of movement of a user's hand because theprotective padding extends in the free zone independently of andstanding free from the lining of the protective glove surrounding auser's band. The advantage of a glove based on this type of design isthat it affords greater and better protection against foreign bodies inthe most important protective zones and the required freedom of movementand sense of touch and feeling in the regions outside the protectivezone, such as the palm of the hand for example, is not restricted.

Advantageous embodiments are defined by the fact that a gap or an openregion is provided means that the free zone can be made in a designusing simple means. In particular, the joining points may bound the gapunderneath the protective padding so that the extent of the free zoneformed by the gap when the protective padding is attached to the liningcan be easily defined by the contour of the joining points.

An embodiment provides a special advantage because a protective paddingcovering the region of the finger joints enables all regions of the topof the hand which might be the target of an attack by means of a foreignbody to be protected. In particular, a glove of this design is ofadvantage when using or operating firearms because when holding afirearm, the top of the hand lies free and constitutes a target forattack by foreign firearms, and this top side of the hand, including theback of the hand lying in the same plane as the top sides of thefingers, is protected against foreign missiles by the protectivepadding. Deployment troops or military units in particular, who areforced to engage in armed combat, can be reliably protected againstshooting injuries or cutting or stabbing injuries in the region of thehand, but their ability to handle devices or tools is not restrictedbecause tactility is preserved in the region of the palm of the hand bymeans of the glove. In particular, one or more fingers of the glove, atleast the inner or proximal finger region of which is covered by theprotective padding, can be bent without a significantly higherresistance. This is achieved due to the fact that the relativelydimensionally stable and bending-resistant protective padding is notattached to the finger top sides and a gap is provided between thefinger top sides and the bottom face of the protective padding. Thefingers can therefore be bent or clenched into a first position, whichis necessary in particular when using firearms in order to hold thefiring device and fire a shot, and there is therefore virtually norestriction.

The geometric shape of the protective padding has proved to beparticularly functional and efficient in practice from a structuralpoint of view.

Another preferred embodiment of the protective glove has proved to be ofparticular advantage because the freedom of movement of the protectiveglove is further improved on the one hand, but optimum protection isafforded against piercing foreign bodies such as projectile objects orcutting or stabbing devices on the other hand, thereby fulfilling thebullet-proofing and stab-resistant and cut-inhibiting function.

Claim 12 defines a layout of the joining, points making it easy to jointhe protective padding and the lining and ensuring that the protectivepadding is reliably attached to the lining.

As a result of the features wherein two of the joining points aredisposed between the protective padding and the lining in lateralfinger-side regions of two glove fingers, preferably an index finger anda little finger, a compact unit with the fingers lying underneath isachieved in a longitudinal portion of the protective padding in whichthe free zone is provided, so that the protective padding is alwaysdisposed in the region of the fingers and any flapping or bending of theprotective padding in the direction away from the fingers can be ruledout. This reduces the risk of the protective gloves beingunintentionally caught or snagged on an object during use.

The advantage of the glove is provided by the feature that a protectivepadding of the specified dimensions protects the hand of a userparticularly reliably against injuries by foreign bodies. Therectangular extension of the protective padding protects the entireouter hand region against contact by foreign bodies on the one hand. Onthe other hand, the specified thickness dimensions of the protectivepadding largely protect a user's hand against injuries because with aprotective material of the specified thickness, foreign bodies, inparticular bullets and shrapnel, with a particularly high kinetic energycan be stopped and the relatively thick design of the protective paddingcompared with the lining of the glove is able to absorb the forcesreleased by the foreign body on impact due to the protective materialand damping and speed-decelerating protective layers in the protectivepadding. Due to a protective padding of this type, a user can beprotected against open wounds caused by foreign bodies and against bluntinjuries and traumatic effects generated by the forces released onimpact.

Another embodiment of the glove is of advantage because the protectiveglove can be made very inexpensively due to a non-detachable and dottedor linear shaped attachment of the lining to the protective padding, butthe protective glove is nevertheless of a very compact and highlyresistant design. The extension of the free zone can be readily definedby the joining points.

Another advantageous embodiment of the protective glove is provided byan interchangeable protective padding of the glove advantageouslyenables the glove to be adapted to different types of protectionrequired in different applications and a protective padding which mighthave been damaged can be replaced by an intact protective padding.

Another advantageous embodiment provides practical joining means forattaching the protective padding to the lining of the glove. Joiningmeans may comprise various known attaching or adhesion devices.

A design of the protective glove wherein the protective paddingcomprises one or more protective layer(s) made from a speed-inhibitingor kinetic energy absorbing protective material, in particular abullet-proof material is of advantage due to the tried and testedstructure known from the prior art and the protective function which canbe achieved as a result.

Another advantageous embodiment of the protective glove is provided,whereby the accessible pocket increases the functionality of the gloveand one or more protective layers of the protective padding may bechanged and/or implements of a user may be placed in the protectivepadding, thereby providing a usable stowage space in the protectivepadding.

As a result of the embodiment, foreign bodies can be reliably preventedfrom unintentionally penetrating an interior of the pocket of theprotective padding or objects prevented from falling out.

As a result of the preferred embodiment of the protective glove, thelayer or layered packet of the protective padding can be easily attachedto the lining, and the externally lying top layer which does not have tofulfill a protective function can be used to impart to the glove adesign that is pleasant to the touch and or visually attractive orsuitable for a specific purpose, for example by using a camouflagedesign.

Other advantageous embodiments of the protective glove may includestraps or tape, and in spite of the fact that protective padding isprovided, the adjusting mechanism, in particular the strap, enables theprotective glove to be reliably affixed to a user's hand, therebypreventing the glove from being undesirably pulled off. This is renderedpossible in particular by the tunnel provided in the protective padding,through which the strap extends, and the shaft can be secured around awide circumference in the wrist region of a user's hand.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference tothe appended schematic drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a plan view illustrating one possible embodiment of theprotective glove proposed by the invention;

FIG. 2 depicts a side view showing the protective glove illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts a side view of the protective glove illustrated in FIG. 1with angled fingers;

FIG. 4 depicts a side view of the glove illustrated in FIG. 1 and adetail in section; and

FIG. 5 shows a front view of the glove illustrated in FIG. 1 with angledfingers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Firstly, it should be pointed out that the same parts described in thedifferent embodiments are denoted by the same reference numbers and thesame component names and the disclosures made throughout the descriptioncan be transposed in terms of meaning to same parts bearing the samereference numbers or same component names. Furthermore, the positionschosen for the purposes of the description, such as top, bottom, side,etc, relate to the drawing specifically being described and can betransposed in terms of meaning to a new position when another positionis being described. Individual features or combinations of features fromthe different embodiments illustrated and described may be construed asindependent inventive solutions or solutions proposed by the inventionin their own right.

FIGS. 1 to 5 illustrate one possible embodiment of a protective glove 1.The protective glove 1 is designed to protect certain regions of auser's hand 2 against foreign bodies hitting the protective glove 1. Inparticular, the intention is to protect a user's hand 2 against foreignbodies in the form of ballistic missiles, for example projectileobjects, bullets, shrapnel, etc., and/or against cutting or stabbingdevices. The protected region of the user's hand 2 does not extendacross an entire external surface 3 of a lining 4 from which theprotective glove 1 is made but to protect a user's hand 2 from saidforeign bodies exclusively in a protection zone 5 extending across apart of the external surface 3 of the protective glove 1.

In the embodiment illustrated as an example, the lining 4 from which theglove 1 is made comprises several deformable or flexible material blanks6 which are joined by seams 7, in particular stitched seams. In anotherexample of an embodiment, although this is not illustrated, the lining 4may be of an integral design and comprise only one material blank 6.

Furthermore, the lining 4 is made from an individual material layer or alayered structure comprising several layers of material placed one abovethe other. The one or more material layers 8 of the lining 4 may be atextile fabric, in particular a woven or braided textile material, alayer of leather, a synthetic layer, a foil, a membrane, or functionallayers designed for a specific purpose, etc. If a functional layer isprovided, it may be liquid-proof, for example, in particular in the formof a semi-permeable membrane which is waterproof and permeable to vapourand gas. The lining 4 may be made up of loose layers or composite layersplaced one above the other or laminates, etc. The lining 4 preferablyhas an outer covering layer, for example made from leather, asemi-permeable functional layer lying underneath it and optionally aninner padding, and the lining 4 is preferably of a type which activelybreathes in order to dispel transpiration of the user's hand 2. Theprotective glove 1 may also have a thumb base, reinforcing elements ordamping inserts made from a preferably deformable and flexible material,for example a foam, gel or similar, in one or more regions and inparticular in the region of the palm of the hand.

Further details of the materials used and the types of joins andpossible structures of the lining 4 will not be given at this pointbecause these aspects are part of the knowledge of a person skilled inthe field of glove making.

The only thing necessary as far as the design of the lining 4 proposedby the invention is concerned is that the lining 4 is made from amaterial which is not or is less resistant to cuts, stabs and/orbullets. In connection with this invention, this should be understood asmeaning that the lining 4 affords less protection against impactingforeign bodies than a protective padding of the protective glove 1disposed on the protection zone 5, which will be described below. Theregion lying outside the protection zone 5 in which the external surface3 of the lining 4 is exposed offers less protection against foreignbodies hitting the external surface 3 than is the case in the protectionzone 5, in which case the lining 4 may be made from a conventionalmaterial known from the prior art which does not protect against saidforeign bodies or does so to a lesser degree, so that the sense of touchand feeling of a user's hand 2 is not significantly restricted. Thelining 4 does not reduce the tactility and freedom to move of theprotective glove 1, especially in the region of an inner hand 9, therebylargely preserving the sense of touch and feeling of a user's hand 2 dueto an appropriate choice of the material used for the lining 4.

This is made possible by the invention due to the fact that a protectivematerial with high resistance to stabbing and bullets is providedexclusively in the protection zone 5 where the protective glove 1 isintended to be bullet-proof and/or resistant to cuts and stabs, whereasregions of the external surface 3 of the glove 1 lying outside theprotection zone 5, in particular a region on the inner hand 9, is madefrom a tactile or thin-layered material, for example a natural orsynthetic leather or a textile fabric made from natural or syntheticorganic fibres.

In the embodiment illustrated as an example, the protective glove 1 isof a design with five fingers, although the protective glove 1 couldnaturally also be in the form of a three-fingered design or a mitten. Itis preferable to provide at least an index finger 11, thereby enablinguse of the glove 1 for ballistic purposes, enabling a shot to bedischarged from firearms.

The protective glove 1 can be sub-divided into the following essentialregions: the glove fingers 10 to 14, a top hand region 15 covering theback of a user's hand 2, the inner hand region 9 covering the handsurface of a user's hand 2 and a shaft 16 extending in the direction ofthe wrist of the user's hand 2. A glove top face 17 extends along anexternal surface 3 of the lining 4 in the region of finger top sides 19and the top hand region 15.

As proposed by the invention, a bullet-proof and/or cut or stabresistant protective padding 20 is disposed or positioned on the lining4 in the region of the glove top face 17 starting from a padding bottomface 21 and attached or joined at joining points 22 to the lining 4,which prevents penetration to an interior of the glove 1 surrounded bythe lining 4 by foreign bodies hitting it. Compared with the largelyflexible lining 4, the protective padding 20 is relatively stiff or lessdeformable and essentially dimensionally stable, due to the protectivematerials used.

Due to the protective padding 20 disposed in the region of the back of auser's hand, that region of the user's hand which in most situations isa possible target for a damaging attack by foreign bodies is reliablyprotected against injuries by foreign bodies. This being the case, twozones are provided on the protective glove 1, namely on the gloveexternal face 17, which are functionally separate from one another, andby providing a single- or multi-layered lining 4 in a first, tactilezone, the usual functions of a glove can be obtained, such as protectionagainst water, dirt, cold, etc., whilst preserving a high degree ofcomfort during wearing with an anatomically very exact and flexibleshape, so that the ability of the fingers to move and the accuracy ofthe finger and hand movements of a user are not impaired and theprotective gloves 1 proposed by the invention are comfortable andpleasant to use.

A bullet-proofing and/or protective function inhibiting cuts or stabscan be achieved due to the protective padding 20 in the other protectionzone. Since the protective padding 20 is provided on the glove top face17 only, the tactile properties of the protective glove 1 in the regionslying around the protective padding 20, in particular the region of theinner hand, are not impaired. This results in a protective glove 1 whichon the one hand has excellent tactile properties in the region of theinner hand, which is vital for forces sent on armed deployments who haveto operate firearms, and on the other hand affords reliable and safeprotection against foreign bodies in the main surfaces in the region ofa top of the hand which are susceptible to attack.

On the glove top face 17, extending underneath the protective padding 20in at least certain regions is a free zone 23 in which there are nojoining points 22 between the protective padding 20 and the lining 4,and this free zone 23 extends in at least a part-portion 24 of aperipheral contour 25 surrounding the padding bottom face 21, at leastin a peripheral or terminal end region 26 of the protective padding 20.The joining points 22 are disposed along the peripheral contour 25surrounding the padding bottom face 21, at least in the part-portion orpartial section 24 outside of a peripheral or terminal end region 26 ofthe protective padding 20.

A preferably continuous gap 27 or open region may expediently beprovided in the free zone 23 between the non-joined protective padding20 and glove top face 17 of the lining 4. The gap 27 or open region mayextend from a terminal end 20 a of the protective padding 20 lying inthe pulling on and off direction 28 of a user's hand in the direction ofan oppositely lying terminal end 29 b of the protective padding 20 in agusset shape across a gap depth 30. The gusset-shaped gap 27 extendsunderneath the protective padding 20 in an approximately rectangularshape, triangular shape or in the shape of a circle segment or ellipsissegment in particular, for example. The gap depth 30 of thegusset-shaped gap 27 may be 0.5 cm to 15 cm, in particular 2 cm to 6 cm,for example, and the gap 27 may also optionally extend continuously orin a tunnel shape between the oppositely lying terminal ends 29 a, 29 bof the protective padding 20.

In one example of an embodiment, the protective padding 20 on the glovetop face 17 extends across at least a proximal finger knuckle region 31,at least a portion 32 of a finger length 33 or the entire finger length33 of one or more of the glove fingers 10 to 14 and optionally a middlehand region 34. As may be seen from the embodiment illustrated, theprotective padding 20 on the glove top face 17 may extend from themiddle hand region 34 in the direction of the glove fingers 11 to 14, inwhich case the protective padding 20 covers the proximal finger knuckleregion 31 of the lining 4 and the protective padding 20 preferablyextends beyond the finger knuckle region 31 by an extra amount whichpreferably more or less corresponds to the gap depth 30. To this end,one of the joining points 22 for joining the protective padding 20 andthe lining 4 is disposed in the proximal finger knuckle region 31 andthis joining point 22 extends in a linear shape transversely to thepulling on and off direction 28 of a user's hand across the width 41 ora part of the width 41 of the protective padding 20.

The protective padding 20 may extend in the longitudinal direction orthe pulling on and off direction 28 along a proximal or inner fingerportion 36 of the glove fingers 11 to 14, essentially lying between thefinger knuckle region 31 and a middle joint region 37 of the glovefingers 11 to 14, so that the protective padding 20 covers the innerfinger portion 36 on the glove top face 17 when the fingers 11 to 14 areoutstretched. The middle joint region 37 is therefore disposed in theregion of a middle finger joint of the finger of a user's hand 2. Theprotective padding 20 may optionally extend along only one or only someof the glove fingers 11 to 14 and/or the protective padding 20 may bestaggered one or more times across its width 41.

As illustrated in the drawings, the free zone 23 extends between theglove top face 17 of the lining 4 and the padding bottom face 21 of theprotective padding 20 at least in the proximal finger knuckle region 31and preferably along an inner finger portion 36 of at least one of theglove fingers 10 to 14, i.e. the gap 30 of the free zone 23 may extendin the pulling on and off direction 28 of a user's hand between thefinger top face 19 of at least one glove finger 10 to 14 and the paddingbottom face 21 of the protective padding 20.

For the purpose of the invention, the protective padding 20 is thereforelargely non-joined or free-standing in the overlapping region above thefinger top sides 19 and/or the glove top face 17 in the wrist region 38to at least one of the glove fingers 10 to 14 and/or the shaft 16. Theat least one non-joined glove finger 10 to 14 is not joined at thefinger top face 19 to the bottom face 28 of the protective padding 20,as a result of which these glove fingers 10 to 14 can be bent withoutcausing the protective padding 20 in the free zone 23 to effect adetrimental forced movement similar to the bending movement of thefingers 10 to 14. Consequently, the freely positioned glove fingers 10to 14 can be bent without a high resistance to movement or clenched to afirst, even though the relatively dimensionally stable protectivepadding 20 covers at least the inner finger portions 36 when the glovefingers 11 to 14 are in the outstretched position. This results in areliable protection for a user's hand 2 at the glove top face 17, whichis also effective in the finger knuckle region 31 and in the directionfrom the tips of the glove fingers 11 to 14 outwards.

The protective padding 20 on the glove top face 17 may also cover atleast a wrist region 38, and the free zone 23 between the glove top face17 of the lining 4 in the region of the shaft 16 and the padding bottomface 21 of the protective padding 20 on the glove top face 17 extends inat least certain regions of the wrist region 38. This enables the wristof a user's arm to bend without the protective padding 20 increasingresistance to the movement being and the protective glove 1 may be ofthe design described above in the free zone 23.

The joining points 22 between the protective padding 20 and the lining 4may be disposed on at least oppositely lying side regions 39, 40 of theprotective padding 20 extending in the pulling on and off direction 28of a user's hand.

In the embodiment illustrated as an example, the protective padding 20is of an essentially quadratic shape although the protective padding 20may also be of other three-dimensional shapes, for example cylindricalor prismatic in shape. Furthermore, separate protective padding 20 maybe provided in several respective non-joined protection zones 5, inwhich case a protective padding 20 may be provided respectively for aglove finger 10 constituting a thumb and/or the glove fingers 11 to 14and/or the wrist region 38 on the glove top face 17.

The protective padding 20 may be of a single piece, in which caseoverstitching or quilting is provided in the surface of the protectivepadding, forming segments in the protective padding 20.

If the segments are separate from one another, i.e. the protectivepadding 20 is made from more than one piece, they must be bridged oroverlap in at least certain regions in order to preserve thebullet-proofing and/or cut or stab inhibiting protective function acrossthe entire region to be protected.

The segments of the protective padding 20 may all be produced from thesame material or alternatively may be made from different materials.

The free zone 23 illustrated in the drawings in the region of the glovefingers 11 to 14 will be described in more detail below.

The gap 27 forming the free zone 23 may extend across the width 41 ofthe protective padding 20 in the region of the terminal end 29 lying inthe pulling on and off direction 28 of a user's hand. In the embodimentillustrated as an example, the gap 27 extends in the free zone 23between two joining points 22 lying on lateral side regions 39, 40 ofthe glove fingers 11 and 14 and a joining point 22 offset from theterminal end 29 of the protective padding 20 by the gap depth 30 in thepulling on and off direction 28. In the portion of the protectivepadding 20 covering the finger top sides 19, the joining points 22 aretherefore essentially spaced apart from one another by the width 41 ofthe protective padding 20 and are attached at oppositely lying sideregions 39, 40 on the outer glove fingers 11 and 14, in particular theindex finger and a little finger. The protective padding 20 is fixed inorder to define the free zone 23, in particular in the region of thespan 24 across the fingers 10 to 14, and this is preferably achieved bymeans of a joining line 42 along seams 7, provided as a means ofattaching the lining 4 to the protective padding 20. In anotherembodiment, it is also possible for the protective padding 20 to beattached to the lining 4 by means of several joining lines 33 or bymeans of an intermittent or full-surface join such as a layer ofadhesive, for example.

The protective padding 20 extends across the glove top face 16essentially in a rectangle, and the protective padding 20 extendsbetween oppositely lying side faces 43, 44 of the glove 1, a terminalend region 45 at the pull-on end of the shaft 16 and the fingers 10 to14, in particular the finger knuckle region 31 and middle joint region37.

The protective padding 20 preferably has a thickness 46 of approximately1 mm to 100 mm, in particular 5 mm to 30 mm, preferably 10 mm to 20 mm.With such a relatively thick structure of the protective padding 20compared with the lining 4, sufficient protective material can beprovided in the protective padding 20 in order to achieve a very highresistance to foreign bodies and enable the protective glove 1 towithstand higher impact energy generated on impact of the foreign bodywith the protective padding 20 than is the case with the prior art. Inaddition to preventing the foreign body from coming into contact with auser's hand 2, forces can also be better absorbed or dispersed due tothe higher or stronger intrinsic protection properties of the protectivepadding 20. In addition to open cut injuries and wounds on a user's hand2, blunt injuries and the effects of trauma which occur when high impactenergies are generated and the resultant forces can be reduced orprevented.

The protective padding 20 may comprise one or more layers 47 and atleast one, preferably several layers 47 incorporate(s) a protectivematerial which inhibits speed or absorbs kinetic energy. In particular,the protective material is a bullet-proof material which resistspenetration by bullets or shrapnel and significantly decelerate thespeed of bullets and shrapnel on impact with these materials. Theprotective material may also be a material which inhibits cuts or stabsand is resistant to sharp-edged objects or decelerates their speed,optionally producing a mechanical blunting effect on contact.

The protective material may be made from high-strength synthetic fibres,in particular an aramide fibre or para-aramide fibre, such as Kevlar®for example. The protective material may also be a high-strengthpolyethylene fibre, for example Dyneema®. The protective material mayalso be provided in the form of a ceramic material, in particularapplied as a coating. Furthermore, the protective material may comprisea film of adhesive with embedded high-strength particles, for exampleground particles, applied to a substrate material, for example a textilefabric. The protective material may also be made from stainless steel,in particular steel yarns.

The at least one protective layer 47 may be provided in the form of atextile fabric, for example a woven fabric, knitted fabric or non-wovenfabric made from fibres or yarns, and the protective material ordifferent protective materials is or are integrated in the textilefabric. The protective layer may also be a composite or laminate, inwhich case the protective material may be laminated on or applied as afacing in the form of a coating, adhesive film, foil, etc.

In the embodiment illustrated as an example, several layers 47 of theprotective padding 20, at least one of which layers 47 incorporates theprotective material, are assembled to form a layered packet 48. Thelayered packet 48 preferably comprises several layers 47 incorporatingone or more of the protective materials.

In one example of an embodiment, although this is not illustrated, theprotective padding 20 may incorporate a vibration-damping material, madeup of loose particles, in particular a granulate or powder, or by afiller material, in particular foam, gel or similar, for example. Thiseffectively enables impact energy of a foreign body hitting theprotective padding 20 to be absorbed by the protective padding 20.

With respect to the structure of the protective padding 20, it should bepointed out in principle that it is not restricted to the materials andcombinations of materials described above or to the layouts ordispositions described above, and any combination of materials andlayered structures may be used, provided they guarantee sufficientbullet-proofing strength and/or resistance to cuts and stabs through theprotective padding 20.

In one possible embodiment of the protective glove 1, the protectivepadding 20 at the joining points 22 is permanently or non-detachablyattached to the glove top face 17. A joining means 49 is provided at thejoining points 22 for this purpose and may be provided in particular inthe form of the seam 7, which may be a stitched seam in particular. Bymeans of the joining means 49, at least an outer material of theprotective padding 20, in particular an externally lying covering layer50 of the protective padding 20 covering the layer 47 or the layeredpacket 48 is joined to the lining 4. This being the case, the joiningpoints 22 disposed in a dotted pattern or linear pattern define or boundthe free zone(s) 23 outside of the peripheral or terminal end region 26of the protective padding 20.

In another embodiment, although this is not illustrated, the protectivepadding 20 may be detachably or interchangeably attached to the glovetop face 17 by the joining means 49. To this end, the joining means 49may be provided in the form of a mechanical coupling mechanism with afirst coupling element on the lining 4 and another coupling element onthe protective padding 20 co-operating with it. The coupling mechanismmay be a mechanism known from the prior art used as a means ofreleasably connecting two parts, for example a cling-type fastener, azip fastener, a button, catch, clip or plug-in connection or similar.

In the embodiment illustrated as an example, a pocket 51 is provided inthe protective padding 20 of the glove 1, which is essentiallycompletely surrounded by the covering layer 50 of the protective padding20 and the external surface 3 of the lining 4 and in which the layeredpacket 48 is accommodated so that the pocket 51 is not accessible.

In another embodiment of the glove 1, although this is not illustrated,the at least one pocket 51 in the protective padding 20 may beaccessible via an opening provided in the covering layer 50 of theprotective padding 20 or in the lining 4 of the glove 1. For example,the opening is formed by a slit, through which an interior in theprotective padding 20 formed by the pocket 51 can be accessed as andwhen required or on a permanent basis.

A pocket 51 accessible via the opening may be used as a means ofinterchangeably accommodating one or more of the protective orbullet-proof layers 47 for example. This offers the possibility ofadapting the protective padding 20 to different applications and uses,for example by inserting in or removing from the protective padding 20special bullet-proof or special layers 47 resistant to stabs, cuts orincisions, or other types of inserts, for example an additionalstiffening or reinforcing element.

This also offers the option of being able to stow other implements—notillustrated—which do not fulfil a protective function in the at leastone accessible pocket 51, for example documents, functional implementsor similar. Accordingly, an additional stowage space can be provided inthe protective padding 20 on the glove top face 17, which is easy toaccess and expediently enables rapid access of an article such as anidentification document, in particular in cheque card format, afunctional implement, such as a knife, a pocket lamp or similar, forexample, the article depending on the application or use of theprotective glove 1.

The opening of the pocket 51 may also have a closing element, althoughthis is not illustrated, such as a flap or tab or a closing mechanismfor example a zip fastener or a button connection. In view of thenumerous design options, a detailed description of the variant of theglove 1 with an accessible pocket 51 in the protective padding 20 willnot be given here.

In the embodiment illustrated as an example, the at least one layer 47or the layered packet 48 of the protective padding 20 is enclosed by theouter covering layer 50. The covering layer 50 is essentially providedin the form of a top part 52 lying essentially parallel with the glovetop face 17 and a side part 53 disposed essentially perpendicular to theglove top face 17. The top part 52 and the side part 53 may be providedin the form of material blanks which are joined to one another and tothe lining 4 by seams 7. The materials used for the top part 52 and theside part 53 may correspond to the materials described above inconnection with the lining 4 or the protective padding 20.

The top part 52 is preferably made from a more resistant material thanthat used for the side part 53 and the lining 4 and/or the top part 52is provided with a profiling or structure on a top face 54, inparticular fluting 54, to add strength.

The protective glove 1 may have an adjustable adjusting mechanism 55 inthe wrist region 38 for determining an opening width 56 of the shaft 16.The adjusting mechanism 55 is preferably provided in the form of a tapeor strip-type strap 57 extending round at least a part of acircumference of the shaft 16. In the embodiment illustrated as anexample, the strap 57 can be manually and steplessly adjusted andsecured in position by means of a fixing means, for example a buckle, aclinging-type fastener, a catch or plug-in connection for example,although this is not illustrated. To enable a uniform adjustment of thestrap 57 around the circumference of the shaft 16, a tunnel 58 isprovided in the protective padding 20 in the wrist region 38, disposedtransversely to the pulling on and off direction of a user's hand 2,indicated by arrow 28, through which the strap 57 extends.

Consequently, the glove 1 can be very exactly adapted to the anatomicalcircumstances of the user's band 2 in the region of the shaft 16, as aresult of which the manual adjustability enables the shaft 16 to bepositioned or set comfortably and to individual taste on the body partof a user. Naturally, the adjusting mechanism 55 may also be of anautomatically rebounding design in the form of a rubber pull or similar,for example. The glove 1 can therefore be securely attached to theuser's hand 2, thereby preventing the glove 1 from being unintentionallypulled off.

It should be pointed out that the protective glove 1 of any of thedesigns described above is of particular advantage for use whenoperating a firearm, in particular a handgun, and such a use may beconstrued as an independent solution proposed by the invention. Theprotective glove offers particularly reliable protection for a user'shand against foreign bodies for this particular purpose andsimultaneously permits unrestricted manipulation and operation offirearms, as described above.

The embodiments illustrated as examples represent possible designvariants of the protective glove 1 and it should be pointed out at thisstage that the invention is not specifically limited to the designvariants specifically illustrated, and instead the individual designvariants may be used in different combinations with one another andthese possible variations lie within the reach of the person skilled inthis technical field given the disclosed technical teaching.Accordingly, all conceivable design variants which can be obtained bycombining individual details of the design variants described andillustrated are possible and fall within the scope of the invention.

For the sake of good order, finally, it should be pointed out that, inorder to provide a clearer understanding of the structure of theprotective glove 1, it and its constituent parts are illustrated to acertain extent out of scale and/or on an enlarged scale and/or on areduced scale.

The individual embodiments of the subject matter illustrated in FIGS. 1,2, 3, 4, 5 constitute independent solutions proposed by the invention intheir own right. The objectives and associated solutions proposed by theinvention may be found in the detailed descriptions of these drawings.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

-   1 Protective glove-   2 User's hand-   3 External surface-   4 Lining-   5 Protection zone-   6 Material blank-   7 Seam-   8 Material layer-   9 Inner hand region-   10 Glove finger-   11 Glove finger-   12 Glove finger-   13 Glove finger-   14 Glove finger-   15 Top hand region-   16 Shaft-   17 Glove top face-   18-   19 Finger top face-   20 Protective padding-   21 Padding bottom face-   22 Joining point-   23 Free zone-   24 Part-portion or partial section-   25 Peripheral contour-   26 Peripheral or terminal end region-   27 Gap-   28 Pulling on and off direction-   29 Terminal end-   30 Gap depth-   31 Finger knuckle region-   32 Portion-   33 Finger length-   34 Middle hand region-   35-   36 Inner finger portion-   37 Middle joint region-   38 Wrist region-   39 Side region-   40 Side region-   41 Width-   42 Joining line-   43 Side face-   44 Side face-   45 Terminal end region-   46 Thickness-   47 Layer-   48 Layered packet-   49 Joining means-   50 Covering layer-   51 Pocket-   52 Top part-   53 Side part-   54 Top face-   55 Adjusting mechanism-   56 Opening width-   57 Strap-   58 Tunnel

1. A protective glove for protecting certain regions of a user's handagainst foreign bodies impacting with it, comprising: a lining made froma material covering several glove fingers and a glove top face on anexternal surface of the lining extending into the region of finger topsides and a top hand region; and an impact protective padding which isbuilt or placed on at least certain regions of a glove top face startingfrom a padding bottom face and attached to the lining at joining points,where at least one free zone on the glove top face has no joining pointsbetween the protective padding and the lining, said free zone extendingat least into a partial section of a peripheral contour which enclosesthe padding bottom side at least in a peripheral edge or frontal orterminal end region of the protective padding.
 2. The protective gloveas claimed in claim 1 wherein the foreign bodies comprise bullets and/orstabbing or cutting devices.
 3. The protective glove as claimed in claim1, wherein the lining comprising a textile fabric, a laminate orsimilar, is not, or not very, bullet-proof or resistant to stabs, cutsand/or incisions.
 4. The protective glove as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid protective padding prevents penetration by impacting foreign bodiesto a glove interior lying underneath it.
 5. The protective glove asclaimed in claim 1, wherein a preferably continuous gap or open regionis disposed in the free zone between the non-joined protective paddingand the glove top face of the lining.
 6. The protective glove as claimedin claim 5, wherein the gap or open region in the free zone extends froma terminal end of the protective padding lying in the pulling on and offdirection of a user's hand towards an oppositely lying terminal end ofthe protective padding in a gusset shape across a gap depth.
 7. Theprotective glove as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protective paddingat the glove top face extends over at least a proximal finger knuckleregion a section of a finger length or the entire finger length of atleast one of the glove fingers and optionally a middle hand region. 8.The protective glove as claimed in claim 7, wherein the protectivepadding extends from the proximal finger knuckle region to a middlejoint region of at least one of the glove fingers and further over aninner finger portion in which a proximal glove finger member of a user'shand is disposed when the glove fingers are outstretched.
 9. Theprotective glove as claimed in claim 7, wherein the free zone betweenthe glove top face of the lining and the padding bottom face of theprotective padding extends at least in the proximal finger knuckleregion and preferably along an inner finger portion of at least one ofthe glove fingers.
 10. The protective glove as claimed in claim 1,wherein the protective padding at the glove top face covers at least awrist region and the free zone between the glove top face of the liningand the padding bottom face of the protective padding on the glove topface in at least certain parts of the wrist region.
 11. The protectiveglove as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protective padding is of anessentially rectilinear paralleliped or cylindrical shape.
 12. Theprotective glove as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protective padding(20) is formed by at least one segment.
 13. The protective glove asclaimed in claim 12, wherein at least one segment is formed by applyingoverstitching or quilting.
 14. The protective glove as claimed in claim12, wherein the segments are laid one over the other and overlap incertain regions.
 15. The protective glove as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe joining points between the protective padding and the lining aredisposed in at least oppositely lying side regions of the protectivepadding running in the pulling on and off direction of a user's hand.16. The protective glove as claimed in claim 1, wherein two of thejoining points are disposed between the protective padding and thelining in lateral finger-side regions of two glove fingers, preferablyan index finger and a little finger.
 17. The protective glove as claimedin claim 1, wherein the protective padding extends essentially in arectangle on the glove top face between oppositely lying side faces ofthe glove, a terminal end region at the pull-on end of a shaft and theglove fingers.
 18. The protective glove as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe protective padding has a thickness in the range of 1 mm to 100 mm,in particular 5 mm to 30 mm, preferably 10 mm to 20 mm.
 19. Theprotective glove as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protective paddingis permanently attached to the glove top face at the joining points. 20.The protective glove as claimed in claim 1, wherein the joining pointsextend in a dotted or linear pattern and a joining means in the form ofa seam, in particular a stitched seam, is provided at the joiningpoints.
 21. The protective glove as claimed in claim 1, wherein thedotted pattern or linear pattern joining points bound or define forexample the rectangular or circle segment or ellipsis segment shapedextension of the free zone(s) outside the peripheral or terminal endregion of the protective padding.
 22. The protective glove as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the protective padding at the joining points isdisposed on the glove top face so that it can be released or replaced bymeans of the joining means.
 23. The protective glove as claimed in claim19, wherein said joining means is provided in the form of a mechanicalcoupling mechanism, comprising a first coupling element on the liningand another coupling element on the protective padding cooperating withit.
 24. The protective glove as claimed in claim 23, wherein thecoupling mechanism may be provided in the form of a clinging-typefastener, a zip fastener, a catch, clip or plug-in connection orsimilar.
 25. The protective glove as claimed in claim 1, wherein theprotective padding comprises one or more protective layer(s) made from aspeed-inhibiting or kinetic energy absorbing protective material, inparticular a bullet-proof material.
 26. The protective glove as claimedin claim 1, wherein at least one pocket is disposed in the protectivepadding, which is accessible through an opening on a padding surface ofthe protective padding or external surface of the lining.
 27. Theprotective glove as claimed in claim 25, wherein said one or moreprotective or bullet-proof layer(s) are interchangeably disposed in thepocket or an additional stiffening or reinforcing element can beinterchangeably disposed in it.
 28. Protective glove as claimed in claim26, wherein other implements of a user which do not fulfil a protectivefunction, comprising documents or other functional implements, may beplaced in the at least one pocket.
 29. The protective glove as claimedin claim 26, wherein the opening of the pocket can be closed by means ofa closure element comprising a flap, tab, or a closure device comprisinga zip fastener or a button connection.
 30. The protective glove asclaimed in claim 25, wherein the layer(s) or a layered packet of theprotective padding is enclosed by an outer covering layer whichcomprises a top part lying essentially parallel with the externalsurface of the lining and one or more side pairs disposed perpendicularto the external surface of the lining.
 31. The protective glove asclaimed in claim 10, wherein an adjustable adjusting mechanism isdisposed in particular in the wrist region for defining an opening widthof the shaft.
 32. Protective glove as claimed in claim 31, wherein theadjusting mechanism is provided in the form of a tape or strip-typestrap which can be continuously or steplessly adjusted and secured in aposition.
 33. Protective glove as claimed in claim 32, wherein a tunnelis disposed in the protective padding in the wrist region extendingtransversely to a pulling on and off direction of a user's hand throughwhich the strap extends.